Children's Home run by Regional Therapeutic Homes Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 1 Registered provider: Regional Therapeutic Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private company. The home provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since February 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Although a new manager put in an application to register with Ofsted, this application has now been withdrawn. The responsible individual was not present for the monitoring visit.

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Information about this children’s home

There are no children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted completed an assurance inspection on 4 March 2025. The outcome was that Ofsted had serious and widespread concerns about the care and safety of children.

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This monitoring visit

Following this assurance inspection, a restriction of accommodation notice was issued alongside two compliance notices under regulation 12 and regulation 13. On 7 March 2025, placing authorities moved all children out of the home.

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This monitoring visit

On 24 March 2025, Ofsted completed a monitoring visit to review compliance with the notices. The outcome of this visit was that neither compliance notice had been met. For such reasons, Ofsted has issued a notice of proposal to cancel the registration of this children’s home.

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This monitoring visit

Compliance with the restriction notice has been met in that no further children have lived at the children’s home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 2 The leadership and management of the home remains a significant concern. Since the last inspection, the manager has withdrawn their application to register with Ofsted. The responsible individual had delegated many aspects of his role to a senior manager. This has not been effective, and the responsible individual has taken accountability for this failure. The responsible individual accepts the failures identified by Ofsted and he has expressed a willingness to improve practice.

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This monitoring visit

Staffing shortages remain. There has been no learning review to assess why managers agreed to care for new children during this inspection period when they did not have sufficient staff. Only one staff exit interview took place in this inspection year. This exit interview provided valuable feedback; however, managers did not address these points or use them to make changes to improve the service. There is no retention strategy in place. The provider is trying to recruit staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff supervision discussions are not happening in accordance with the home’s supervision policy. For example, there was no record of one staff member having received supervision since starting on 5 March 2025. The supervision policy states that this person should have received two weekly supervisions. There was no record of a different staff member having received supervision following their return from sick leave two weeks prior. The manager also had a gap in their supervision record despite them requiring additional support and guidance.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s bedrooms have been cleaned and modernised, with some new furniture having been bought. This is positive; however, there was a lack of reflection as to what staff needed to do differently to support children to have a nurturing, clean bedroom. Instead, there was more of an onus on children needing to take more accountability in keeping their bedrooms clean.

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This monitoring visit

Key locks have been fitted to all bedrooms and the bathroom. It is unclear why a key lock has been fitted on the bathroom door because this would not be usual practice. There are no individualised safety risks that would warrant such restrictive practice because no children are being cared for at this time.

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This monitoring visit

The provider’s review of safeguarding processes has not involved the auditing of any children’s case records or staff files. There have been no lessons-learned exercises to identify how or why safeguarding failures happened in practice. Children’s wishes and feelings during and following safeguarding incidents have not been reviewed or reflected on. Safeguarding policies have been updated; however, there has been no review to inform what changes needed to be made to make these policies effective.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments are updated; however, there is no management oversight to explain what gaps had been identified or why changes needed to be made. Therefore, it was difficult to assess the effectiveness of these document updates. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 3 The management oversight of restraint practice remains a concern. No management oversight was provided to inspectors of a physical intervention that happened prior to the last assurance inspection. This was despite Ofsted raising specific concerns about this child’s safety during this incident. A staff member involved in this restraint continued to care for the child despite the manager not having oversight as to whether this decision was safe or not. There has been no review of any physical interventions with children. Learning from children’s experiences of being restrained has not happened. A physical intervention recording form has been updated as a

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This monitoring visit

paperwork task; however, this update was not informed by any evidenced-based practice or reflection.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not reviewed children’s care plans to assess what the risks were between children. This is a concern because the dynamics between children negatively impacted each of them. Some children were hurt by other children when staff could not keep them safe. Managers did not complete this work, stating that the reason was because the children moved out. Without a review of what went wrong, there is a risk of repetition. Staff have undertaken bullying training in this period.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have undertaken training in safeguarding and room search practice. Staff have also completed a quiz to ascertain their understanding of room search practice. The form that needs to be completed when a room search has happened has been updated. However, these actions have been taken without any review of the room searches that have happened in the home. Therefore, such changes have not been rooted in evidence-based practice. There has been no learning review to assess what the shortfalls were or what the learning points are.

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This monitoring visit

Medication practice does not meet regulation. Staff have undertaken medication training again. However, many staff had this in place at the last assurance inspection when the recording and administering of medication had significant shortfalls. There have been no medication audits to ascertain what processes need to change or why they need to change. Senior leaders have not audited existing systems to ensure that they are complaint.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has received no retrospective safeguarding notifications since the assurance visit. These were requested as part of the compliance notice under regulation 12. There has been no audit to assess if any other incidents met the threshold to notify Ofsted under regulation 40. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/07/2024 Full Outstanding 22/08/2023 Full Outstanding 26/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 30 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 6 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that this regulation is complied with. Children’s well-being and safety should remain at the forefront of all restraint practice. The manager should ensure that staff only restrain children in a way that is consistent and safe. This needs to be considered when using staff who are not permanent. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 7 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 30 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that medication practice is compliant with regulation. Children’s medications and health needs should be kept under review by the manager and staff. Children should be given medication when they need it. 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 8 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(v)(v)(vii))

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The registered person should ensure that children are cared for in accordance with the statement of purpose. 30 April 2025

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The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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develop positive relationships with them;

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take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 9 the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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The registered person should ensure that children are valued and cherished. Staff should ensure that children have a platform to routinely share their views on a day-to-day basis. When children are unhappy, their views should be taken seriously and responded to effectively.

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The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 10 the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children have good routines that support children’s progress and educational routines. Staff should nurture and incentivise children to make progress and enjoy learning.

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The health and well-being standard is that—

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the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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The registered person should ensure that children’s health and well-being needs are sought and prioritised by staff. Staff should ensure that children attend medical appointments and have good sleep routines. 30 April 2025

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The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 11 help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them;

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and that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(viii)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children are supported to build meaningful relationships with other children in the home. Conflict between children should be responded to effectively and in a meaningful way.

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The registered person should ensure that children receive well-planned care from staff who they can trust and depend on. When staff arrive and leave, care practice should be child centred, and children’s views should be thoughtfully considered.

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The responsible individual should ensure that they have the skill set and capacity to oversee the quality of care in the home. The responsible individual should take action to ensure that lessons are learned following serious incidents. 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 12 The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31 (1)) 30 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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A notification made under this regulation—

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the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 13

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 14

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Regional Therapeutic Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 66c Askew Road, London W12 9BJ

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Inspectors

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Laura Copus, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674029 15 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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